If you are worried that a security breach has made you a target of identity theft, check your checking account or credit card statement regularly. Also, check your credit report - it's always a good idea to do that regularly. But theft of a credit card number is unlikely to lead to the thief opening new accounts. That’s because the key piece of information needed for “new account” ID theft - your Social Security Number - is not part of the credit card data.

As for fraud detection services, some of them have been known to do questionable things. For example, one of these companies, LifeLock, paid $11 million to the Federal Trade Commission in 2010 to settle charges that it used false claims to promote its identity theft protection services.

4. The strongest prevention against ID theft after a breach is a security freeze.

In addition to the advice above, advocates questioned whether Target has been in compliance with state laws that require consumers to be notified when there is a security breach.

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Since 1969, the nonprofit National Consumer Law Center® (NCLC®) has used its expertise in consumer law and energy policy to work for consumer justice and economic security for low-income and other disadvantaged people, including older adults, in the United States. www.nclc.org

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Consumer Action has been a champion of underrepresented consumers since 1971. A national, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, Consumer Action focuses on financial education that empowers low to moderate income and limited-English-speaking consumers to financially prosper. It also advocates for consumers in the media and before lawmakers to advance consumer rights and promote industry-wide change particularly in the fields of credit, banking, housing, privacy, insurance and utilities. www.consumer-action.org